Video Cards
There’s an odd situation developing on the
video card front, where high-end cards now appear designed for game detail
levels that simply don’t exist and lower spec cards now have enough power to
drive most games at 1080p resolution with many visual enhancements active. So,
if you want a good discrete card there are some great choices around
XFX
Radeon HD 6670 2GB GDDR3 (HD-667X-CNF2)
Cost: $70.65
Source: ARIA PC
If you get easily confused by video card model
numbers (and who doesn’t) then this is a middle-order card from AMD’s previous
generation. As such you get an 800MHz Turks XT GPU, wired to 1300MHz DDR3 RAM
on a 128-bit Memory bus. The GPU has 480 stream processing cores, allowing it
to render games in impressive detail, and the single slot width makes it a
great solution for a HTPC with some gaming capability. Amazingly for the money
it also has triple outputs; VGA, DVI and HMDI (1.4a). For the money, this is
difficult ignore for the budge-bound gamer.
Asus
HD 7750 1GB (HD7760-1GD5-V2)
Cost: $114.19
Source: Ebuyer
The HD 7750 is an AMD Southern Islands
video card having a Cape Verde Pro GPU at its heart. In this incarnation the
core is clocked at 820MHz and the memory at 1150 MHz, which is the equivalent
of 4600MHz on this quad pumped GDDR5 memory.
What’s especially nice about this design is
that it has plenty of bandwidth- more than 72GB/s – along with 520 stream
processing cores, and yet it doesn’t require an additional PCI Express power
line, consuming just 75 watts maximum. Outputs are DVI, HDMI and DP, with the
ability to convert the DVI to VGA covering all bases. There’s plenty of bang
for your money in this card.
Zotac
GT 640 Synergy Edition 1GB DDR3 (ZT-60205-10L)
Cost: $95.88
Source: Ebuyer
Nvidia doesn’t offer much between its
not-much-better-than-integrated cards and the expensive ones, but the GT 640 is
the best one you’ll find in the desolation of this no-man’s land. In typical
Nvidia fashion, this isn’t actually a 600 series card, but a re-branded GeForce
GT 545, the DDR2 vesion of that design in fact. That last point unfortunately
reduces the bandwidth fromt eh 80GB/s that the GDDR5 model has to just 28.5FB/s
on this one.
Even kneecapped in this way, the 1.3
million transistor GPU still offers a 900MHz clock and 385 Stream Pocessors.
Output is dual DVI, supporting a maximum resolution of 2560 x 1600, makig it a
solid performer for those who occasionally like to play.
Memory
If RAM gets much cheaper, soon we’ll all
have 32GB or more in our computers – or we’ll start using it as battery backed
storage with amazing speeds. However, before you go out hunting for all the
memory you can afford, it’s worth researching how much your motherboard can
actually take, because some systems wont’ accept 4GB, 8GB or 16GB modules.
You might also need a timely reminder that
32-bit Windows (XP, Vista, 7 or 8) can’t address more than 3.5GB of RAM in any
computer, so show some self-control if you have one of those-and perhaps
consider spending your upgrade money elsewhere first. Anyone running a 64-bit
OS can probably max-out their motherboard for relatively little, though, and
here are some super-bargains, for those who want more RAM.
GeIL
Black Dragon 16GB (2x 8GB) DDR3 PC3-10666C9
Cost: $135.88
Source: Overclockers
If you’re going to spend on RAM, then you
may as well push the boat out and head for exotic shores, I say. While at first
look these modules aren’t that mad- they’re only rated to PC3-12800 (1333GMHz)
and have timings of CAS 9-9-9-24-but the wild part of this deal is how much
memory is on each stick: 8GB, providing 16GB in total.
As with most of GeIL’s excellent memory
products some margin for speed adjustment is inbuilt, allowing you to loosen
the timings and boost the clock speed to a level they’ll accept. These are
ideal for any recent Intel or AMD motherboard that takes 8GB modules, and thy
come with a Lifetime warranty.
They’re supposedly an exclusive to
Overclokers. It might be possible to find elsewhere- overseas, for example- but
at this price, for this much RAM, why bother hunting around?
Crucial
8GB (2x 4GB) DDR3 1600MHz Ballistix Tactical
Cost: $71.65
Source: Ebuyer
Crucial Ballistix has become a watchword
for reliability and performance over the years, and I’ve used them going back
to the DDR2 era and before. These ones are PC2-12800, or 1600Mhz ready, making
them perfect for anyone with a motherboard that will run RAM in that ratio
naturally using XMP Profiles. The timings at 1600MHz are CL8 8-8-8-24 and it
demands a standard 1.5V for that operation. If you think that more than 8GB of
RAM is pointless, and my experience is that it probably is, then this the
perfect option to trick-out your PC with some high quality modules.
Mushkin
Enhanced Silverline 4GB (2x 2GB)
Cost: $45.28
Source: ARIA PC
The Silverline Series is designed for
system builders that want high performance, but also need to keep costs under
control. At just under $45.3 for 4GB of RAM this isn’t a deal you’re likely to
regret. These are PC3-10666 240-Pin modules rated to 1333MHz operation at CAS
9-9-9-24 timings.
That’s fine for almost all desktop systems
that take DDR3, unless they’re older than the hills. For those wishing to use a
quad channel mode and have 8GB, you could buy two kits for less than $90.6.
CD/DVD Writers
With burners now so cheap, it’s actually
worth looking for something better than the basic mechanisms for our money. The
difference between an average drive and something special is just a few pounds,
and is usually money well spent in reduced burn times.
LiteOn
Ihas 124
Cost: $21.13.
Source: Dabs
My first drive capable of reading a DVD
cost nearly $302, and these days you can get the Ihas 124, which will burn to
all DVD, including DVD-RAM, and CD media at amazing speed for this price! To
use this you’ll need SATA cabling and a standard half-height slot, and any
version of Windows since or Linux.
The killer feature of this drive is the
SMART-BURN tech that LiteOn have developed, that can adjust the writing
strategy on the fly, based on its ongoing experience with the media you’ve
chosen. Put simply, if you use DVD media and you need a drive this is a
complete no-brainer.
Pioneer
BDR-207EBK 12x Blu-ray Writer
Cost: $99.07
Source: Ebuyer
You can get a Blu-ray reading drive for
about $45.3, but at twice that price you might as well go the whole hog and be
able to burn 25GB or 50GB discs!
Actually, even if this is super-cheap for a
Blu-ray writer, it’s also one of the few drives out there that can take the new
triple layer BD-R XL media, allowing for 100GB disc.
The Blu-ray media can be written at a
blistering 12x speed, and DVD writing at a respectable 16x rate. It also
supports CD, and the full scope of DVD media, including DVD-RAM. The Pioneer
BDR-207EBK is truly the one drive to rule them all, and at this price you
should snap it up!
